Human Training Essay, Research Paper
Human Training: Building a Strong and Healthy Body
There are a lot of Americans in this world who are looking for a way to look
and feel strong and healthy. The problem is that not everyone knows how to get
started and keep up the process of building a strong, healthy body. The use of
proper nutrition and supplementation with high intensity training and a good
amount of rest will be effective in building a strong and healthy looking body.
Anyone can train with weights, but training with intensity is a whole different
story. High intensity training gives better results from a good training
program. A lot of people forget that proper nutrition provides the body with the
fuel it needs to train effectively. Another thing people do not recognize is
that supplements are essential for the body, and they will also help give better
results from high intensity training. And a person must also remember one cannot
train with intensity without a good amount of rest. Rest and recovery is very
important for muscles to grow and for increasing muscle strength. Building a
strong and healthy body revolves around high intensity training, proper
nutrition, supplementation, and rest and recovery. Any individual is capable of
gaining not only physical but also mental strength.
In order to get any results out of a workout, it must be done with intensity.
A longer, low intensity workout is much less effective because it will not be
stimulating the muscles; it will be annihilating them. All exercises should be
performed with intensity, resting only one minute between each set and two
minutes between each exercise. ?It?s not so much what exercises we do but
rather how we do them that matters most. We must perform these exercises
intensely to
produce rapid results? (D?Orso and Phillips 58). In every intense workout
there is a high point,and everyone has the skill to create a high point. Hitting
a high point in an intense workout is when the body is pushed to the extreme.
Creating high points make people feel good about their workouts. ?When you
develop the skill to intentionally create high points, you can not only
experience more energy and greater success in life, you can also produce major
results in minimal time, in any area? (D?Orso and Phillips 60). Nothing will
be accomplished in a workout if he or she worries if free weights or machines
are better. ?Free weights and machines both have advantages in a workout?
and both should be included in a workout (Cardena). As long as the exercise is
performed with intensity, it does not matter if it is with a machine or a
dumbbell.
Exercise selection is an important part of a good workout. A person should
focus on only one or two exercises, that way more intense sets can be performed
of that single exercise. ?Performing a small number of exercises enables you
to perform many more sets,? whereas the more exercises performed the less sets
performed, which is not good (Cardena). There are three ranges of repetitions
that should be included in a workout: to enhance strength, between one and five
repetitions are performed; to enhance muscle power and growth, between six and
twelve repetitions are performed; and to enhance muscle endurance, between
twelve and fifteen repetitions are performed. ?The number of repetitions you
do determines the intensity of your workout? (Phillips, et al 298). All three
types of repetitions can be done in one exercise by performing multiple sets.
?High repetitions do not directly develop strength or mass, they contribute to
the process by supporting strength and mass development? (Phillips, et al
298).
For a workout to be intense it should only take forty-five minutes. Although
a ninety- minute workout may be more productive, it will not be nearly as
intense as a short, brief workout. ?Very short sessions allow you to bust your
butt with very high intensity? (Phillips, et
al 299). Too much rest between sets will cause the muscles to cool off and
add time to a workout. ?Short rest periods may limit the amount of weight
used, but they force the body to fortify its recovery mechanisms,? and they
also take time off of a workout which gives more time for muscles to recover and
grow (Phillips, et al 299). It should not take longer than a minute to perform
each set. Each repetition has a tempo to be performed in each set; a positive, a
negative, and a pause. ?Exercise tempo refers to the amount of time it takes
to perform a repetition? (Phillips, et al 300).
Every single workout that is performed should be planned out the night before
so everything will go exactly how it should from beginning to end. If the
workout is not planned out, a person will spend more time deciding what exercise
to do or how many sets they will perform, rather than going to the gym,
performing an intense workout, and getting out as quickly as possible. ?Before
each workout you should know what exercises your going to do, how many sets, the
number of reps, and how much weight your going to use? (D?Orso and Phillips
57). All workouts should be brief, intense, and highly effective. The upper and
lower body workouts should take less than four hours a week because ?too much
exercise prevents results? (Phillips, et al 38). The muscles do not grow
during a workout; they are actually being damaged during a workout. According to
a personal trainer at a local gym people should ?give their muscles three to
five days to rest and repair to ensure proper recovery? because the muscles
are growing while they are being rested and relaxed (Cardena). A lot of rest is
required in order to perform a high intensity workout.
The most important part of putting the human body through an intense workout
is feeding it the proper nutrition. A person cannot reach a high point without
eating right. Developing good eating habits will give a person much more
satisfying results from an intense workout. ?Proper nutrition provides the raw
materials your body must have to construct new skin cells, brain cells, muscle
cells, bone cells, new blood, and even a new heart? (D?Orso and Phillips
50). Without good nutrition it is basically impossible for any kind of exercise
to be effective. The only way to get sufficient results out of a workout is to
feed the body the proper nutrition it needs for everyday life. ?With a
regular, intense, training program, and good nutrition, you can actually
transform your body? (Phillips 50). The body should be feed six times a day to
develop a pattern for the body to get used to. And according to Phillips on the
Internet, everyone should ?make sure they?re eating six quality nutritious
meals and drinking ten glasses of water per day? (Q&A).
Every day should have a plan of what is going to be eaten and when. Every
meal a person eats is planned; never should a person just grab a bite to eat.
?Before we begin each day, we?ll need to plan what we?re going to eat and
when? (D?Orso and Phillips 51). By eating the proper nutrition every day,
the body is actually re-creating itself. Without feeding the body with the right
fuel the body will begin to lose muscle, gain fat, and feel sluggish. The
process of re-creating the body begins with quality nutrition, ?[w]hen you
nourish your body with pure energy, you transform from the inside out? (D?Orso
and Phillips 81). In order to look good and feel good for life, he or she needs
an opportunity to feed the body intentionally, instead of eating accidentally.
Eating quality nutrition is just as important as exercising intensely, and ?[o]nce
you discover the right method of feeding your body, you?ll never have to
relearn it? (D?Orso and Phillips 82).
Protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats are important for the body, but
water is more important for the body than anything else. Water transports many
of the quality nutrients the body consumes into the muscles. ?Healthy muscle
is comprised of more than 70 percent water?
(D?Orso and Phillips 51). The body cannot transport nutrients without
water, it will be hard to get any muscle growth and ?[y]ou could be the most
dedicated exerciser and the most responsible eater, but if you?re not drinking
enough water, all the benefits from your hard work can go right down the drain?
(Griffith 164). If protein is not included in a diet, it will be hard for an
individual to get any results out of a workout, ?[p]rotein is absolutely
necessary if you want to maximize your muscular gains?(Zulak 125). Protein and
carbohydrate intake should be spread out over all six meals, and ?under normal
circumstances, protein serves a vital role in the maintenance, repair, and
growth of the body tissue? (Phillips, et al 257). With a good carbohydrate
intake, the body will have energy in a high intense training session, and the
muscles will look and feel more full. The muscles may become depleted by not
eating enough carbohydrates, ?[c]arbohydrates are very important because if
your body doesn?t have enough, it has to metabolize more protein? (Phillips,
et al 257). And it is hard to remember, but no matter how much people eat, they
must drink as much water as possible.
A combination of good, quality foods gives the body more ability to gain
muscle mass and burn body fat. All six meals a person eats should be balanced to
get results from intense training. Each meal should be divided into thirds,
consisting of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. This will help spread out
the quality nutrients the body needs throughout the day. ?Each meal must
contain a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and a quality vegetable in
order for you to really get the most out of your weight training? (Phillips,
et al 259). Incomplete rest periods can cause the body to become overtrained.
When participating in an intense workout the body needs at least eight hours of
sleep: ?Without rest, over time the body cannot sufficiently recover,? and
it also makes it that much more difficult to consistently fit six meals into a
person?s busy schedule (Cardena). Another important thing for
take in as many calories as
possible. Calories are important so the muscles do not give up any quality
nutrients, ?if you?re ingesting too few calories, you?ll not only lose
muscle, you?ll also lose energy and endurance?(Phillips, et al 258).
Supplementation is another important aspect to building a strong and healthy
body. There are three general categories of effects from supplements. ?The
first way a supplement might help you build muscle, lose fat, and improve your
health is simply by making up for deficiencies,? and if the body does not
build muscle and burn fat properly it may be deficient in one or more nutrients
(Phillips 14). Vitamin supplements are used to protect the body against nutrient
deficiencies, which are taken every day of the year. If the body does not have a
nutrient deficiency, not to worry, the body can still benefit from supplements.
The second way a supplement can help the body is by ?providing a nutrient that
is under-supplied to cells or not normally available in optimal levels in the
diet,? but not all regular foods provide the quality nutrients that the body
needs because muscle cells require certain nutrients (Phillips 15). ?A third
mechanism by which a dietary supplement may work is when it produces a drug-like
effect on cellar processes,? which means that a supplement may not be required
such as caffeine, but it can still have an effect on that cell?s normal
function. Not all people will get positive effects from supplements because
there are so many different supplements for so many different people.
This is when foundation supplements come into the picture. Foundation
supplements are essential to everyday life and essential nutrients are essential
to life itself. ?A foundation supplement is something you take all year and is
usually an essential nutrient such as a vitamin, mineral, fatty acid, etc.?
and without essential nutrients, over time, the body will become weak and ill
(Phillips, et al 222). Multivitamins, multi-minerals, and essential fatty acids
should be consumed every day. ?We know there are approximately a dozen
essential amino acids, a multitude of vitamins and minerals, and two essential
fatty acids that must be obtained? in order for the body to maintain proper
bodily functions (Phillips, et al 223). Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
are the two essential fatty acids, and ?it?s virtually impossible to get
optimal amounts of unprocessed essential fatty acids from our heavily processed
food supply? (Phillips, et al 224). Our food supply does not provide for many
of the essential nutrients that our body needs every day. ?Specifically
linoleic and alpha linolenic acids are considered ?essential? because the
body cannot manufacture them and must obtain them from outside sources?
(Romano 190).
Then there are performance supplements that should be taken regularly to
increase muscle strength and muscle growth. Whey protein, antioxidants, and
creatine are examples of performance and health enhancing supplements. Whey
protein is great for muscle growth, but it ?may also improve immunity?
(Phillips, et al 225). ?A good protein supplement or high-quality
meal-replacement product which includes whey protein is an important part of any
supplement program? but they are not needed to survive (Cardena). Antioxidants
are important for the long-term health and muscle strength of the body. Some
antioxidants are essential nutrients, but not all of them. ?Antioxidants are a
special class of vitamins and other non-vitamin compounds which neutralize free
radicals,? which means a broad range of diseases have been implicated, ?such
as cancer, atherosclerosis, immune deficiency, and diabetes? (Phillips, et al
225). ?Though it may be the best performance-enhancing supplement around,
creatine isn?t an essential nutrient,? but
that does not mean it cannot be taken all year long (Phillips, et al 225).
Creatine puts lean mass on many people, increases strength, is not very
expensive, and it is safe.
Maximum results from an intense workout will not come without performance
supplementation. Without an intense workout, a person will not get any results
by using supplements. ?Only those people training on the edge, looking for
that extra 10-20 percent of growth that performance supplements can provide,
will know how much a difference they can make? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 131).
The people who are really interested in getting results are the people who spend
their money on supplements, and ?if you are training for maximum results, and
are willing to settle for less, you will probably see little effect from
supplements? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 131). Supplements provide more
nutrients to the body than most regular foods. A good diet is not enough to get
maximum results out of an intense workout, and in order ?[t]o get the
necessary nutrients for maximum growth into your body, at a time when you really
need them, you will need nutritional supplementation? (Costa, Horine, and
Platz 131).
Rest and recovery is something important that provides maximum results to
training, nutrition, and supplementation. Not a lot of people pay too much
attention to how important rest and recovery really is. Proper recovery from
high intensity training will provide an increase for muscle growth and muscle
strength. With a quick, brief, intense workout the muscles have a greater amount
of time to recover. A person should allow three to five days for their body to
fully recover from a high intensity workout. After a workout is the best time to
consume performance supplements because the muscles are in a recovery state, ?but
remember, it is between workouts that your body rebuilds itself. It is between
workouts that your muscles repair themselves, growing stronger and firmer each
time? (D?Orso and Phillips 40). The ability to recover is very important for
maintaining muscle growth. During a workout the muscle cells are damaged, and
?[i]f you work out again before the muscles have had time to rebuild, you will
short-circuit the recovery process: And that?s not good? (D?Orso and
Phillips 40). It is like trying to rebuild a building after it has been hit by
an earthquake. Getting the proper amount of sleep will also provide for a large
amount of muscle growth. The muscles and the body actually grow while it is
sleeping. A person should get at least eight hours of sleep a night because ?if
you do not allow for proper sleep, you will be cheating yourself of growth you
would otherwise be getting? (Cardena). Without being fully rested it will be
hard for a person to perform a workout with full intensity. The muscles will not
grow and a person would not be getting maximum results from his or her training
sessions. ?Not getting enough sleep will hinder your chances at maximum growth?
(Costa, Horine, and Platz 116). Even if the body is not being put through an
intense workout it still needs the proper amount of sleep.
Relaxation is an important part of the recovery process in order for the body
to be capable of proper recovery. A person should relax immediately after an
intense workout when recovery is most important. There are many different ways
of relaxing, ?[t]he ability to relax after a workout, and to stay relaxed, is
vital if you want to maximize recovery capabilities? (Costa, Horine, and Platz
116). By relaxing, the muscles are given a chance to grow and develop the way
they are suppose to and ?[y]our body needs an opportunity to respond to the
training stress it has received and time to transport vital nutrients to muscles
for energy and development? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 115). Another thing that
contributes to helping the body recover faster is a good massage. ?Massage can
speed recovery and enhance growth,? relieves stress from a high intensity
workout, and it can also prevent injuries during future workouts (Costa, Horine,
and Platz 118).
Overtraining is what will keep the body from proper recovery and achieving
maximum results from intense training sessions. If a person trains the same
muscle group two days in a row, the body will not recover properly and ?[o]vertraining
occurs when the body is stressed
beyond its ability to recover? (Cardena). It may not seem correct, but more
recovery than training is required for getting strong and staying strong. ?Your
ability to recover will be a big factor in maintaining and increasing growth?
(Costa, Horine, and Platz 115). A person who does not know how to recover
properly will fail to get results from intense training, that is why ?it is
essential that you become familiar with techniques to enhance recovery from your
workouts? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 115).
Building a strong and healthy body is not easy to accomplish. A person must
have the mental toughness to transform his or her body into a body for life.
There is not one individual that can say he or she is not capable of being
physically and mentally tough. Building a strong and healthy body takes more
than just exercise. It starts with a high intensity training program, which will
only be effective with proper nutrition, the use of performance-enhancing
supplements, and the proper amount of rest. All it takes is a commitment and a
little know-how to put these four pieces together for a quality program to build
the best-looking body ever.
5fc
Cardena, Pablo. Personal Interview. 29 Jan 2001.
Costa, Leo, Russ Horine, and Tom Platz. Big Beyond Belief. Serious Growth
III. Visalia:
Optimum Training Systems, 1994.
D?Orso, Michael, and Bill Phillips. Body-For-Life. New York: Harper
Collins, 1999.
Griffith, Meagan. ?Research Update.? Muscle Media Jul. 1999: 164.
Phillips, Bill. ?Q&A with Bill Phillips.? http://BodyForLife.com
December 5, 1999.
Phillips, Bill, et al. Sports Supplement Review. 3rd Issue. Golden: Mile
High, 1997.
Romano, John. ?Muscle Meals.? All Natural Muscular Development Mar. 1998:
190.
Zulak, Greg. ?The Muscle Molecule.? Muscle Mag Dec. 1997: 125.